Authors:
- Unique in its focus on the diverse perspectives of the major stakeholders, including the emerging adults as well as their parents and employers
- Effectively blends the academic and clinical aspects of this developmental period
- Representative vignettes, based on a qualitative research design, are provided throughout the book
- Is written in a way that engages students and reinforces critical thinking
- Links research findings, clinical acumen, and judgment to everyday life practices
Part of the book series: Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development (ARAD)
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.
Table of contents (9 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
About this book
The delayed onset of maturity from adolescence to adulthood is gaining the considerable attention of scholars, not to mention that of the parents and the young adults themselves. The chapters in this volume examine the experiences of numerous individuals in their 20s and early 30s – as well as parents and employers – the end result of which is a finely nuanced, research-based portrait of today’s aging adolescents and the increasingly high hurdles they must jump to reach full-fledged adulthood.
The chapters of Emerging and Young Adulthood: Multiple Perspectives, Diverse Narratives:
- Feature scores of narratives told by research subjects in their own words.
- Represent a broad racial and ethnic cross-section of subjects.
- Include the experiences of working class individuals, a population that has been ignored in previous studies.
- Pinpoint specific clinical issues relating to this generation’s behavioral patterns.
- Challenge much of the conventional wisdom about emerging and young adults.
This volume reaches beyond facile "Gen X" and "quarterlife crisis" constructs to reveal the many diverse voices of young adults – their attitudes toward life, work, relationships, peers, and identities – and incorporates the diverse perspectives of parents and employers. It is a must-have resource for developmental, school, and counseling psychologists and therapists as well as for researchers and graduate-level students.
_____________________________________________________________________
"Varda Konstam has written a fascinating and compelling book about the lives of young people in the process of crossing over from an unsettled emerging adulthood to a more stable young adulthood. Using the rich materials from her interviews, she provides insights on a wide range of topics in their lives. A special strength of the book is that she obtained interviews not only from the young people themselves but from their parents and employers. Anyone interested in the lives and futures of today’s emerging adults will enjoy and learn from this book."
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Clark University, Author of 'Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties'
"Konstam makes a strong case that there are unique qualities to the contemporary transition to adulthood. And the author articulates the significant cultural, economic, and demographic patterns that uniquely affect the trajectories of this generation's emerging adults. A thoughtful case is made for the tasks of balancing aspirations and expectations in this cohort as well as choices to be made and relevant constraints. The use of narratives from individuals transitioning to adulthood adds immensely to the richness and value of this book."
Barbara Tinsley<, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University
Reviews
From the reviews:
"Important to all invested in facilitating adolescent development and health, the book provides an overview of the demands adolescents will face as they become adults … . A close reading of this book reveals much more than an overview of themes drawn from the literature and a set of narratives to authenticate them. … Konstram’s work brings the framework back as a potentially useful one for understanding emerging and young adult development, and a potential bridge between the old and the new." (Jennifer L. Tanner, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 37, 2008)
"Varda Konstam defines emerging adulthood as the period from 18 to 30, a much wider span than researchers of the past have considered. … does a thoroughly admirable job of collecting research from a wide variety of sources across the social sciences, from scholarly and popular press books as well as traditional research journal articles and newspaper and magazine accounts. … most students, scholars, and practitioners will find the multiplicity of perspectives and the careful capture of diverse voices engaging, thought-provoking, and useful." (Ellen L. Nuffer, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 53 (24), 2008)
Authors and Affiliations
-
Department of Counseling and School Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, USA
Varda Konstam
About the author
Varda Konstam, Ph.d., a Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, in the Counseling and School Psychology Department, brings range and depth in understanding the developmental period of young adults in their 20s. Her extensive teaching, research, and clinical background bring focus to the diverse perspective of the major stakeholders – parents, employers, and individuals – who are negotiating their 20s as well as those individuals who have newly emerged from this decade. Dr. Konstam weaves a tapestry that is grounded in research, nuanced in capturing the voices of multiple stakeholders, and provides a guide for understanding and navigating new patterns of behavior associated with people in their 20s.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Emerging and Young Adulthood
Book Subtitle: Multiple Perspectives, Diverse Narratives
Authors: Varda Konstam
Series Title: Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71033-4
Publisher: Springer New York, NY
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science, Behavioral Science and Psychology (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag US 2007
Series ISSN: 2195-089X
Series E-ISSN: 2195-0903
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XII, 176
Topics: Sociology of Family, Youth and Aging, Child and School Psychology, Regional/Spatial Science